(CNN)-- CNN military analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton said the United States and Iran are engaging in a calculated conflict, as neither side wishes to return to a full-scale military confrontation.

Leighton described the repeated exchange of strikes between the two sides as a 'combat rhythm'.

He added: 'What we are witnessing is essentially a series of strikes and counterstrikes, a punch followed by a counterpunch, in an approach aimed at keeping tension at a manageable level, without spiraling out of control.'

Leighton explained that Iran has focused on targeting individual ships.

He continued that the United States, on the other hand, does not wish to deploy 'massive ground forces' or stop Iranian attacks through military means, while adhering to the diplomatic track.

He concluded: 'We are facing what can be described as a diplomatic dance and a military one, and this is the balance that both sides are trying to manage at the present time.'